


Can We Reach the Sky?

by KuroShini13



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 22:34:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3185729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuroShini13/pseuds/KuroShini13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Allen and Midnight Walker are twins living in a small town of Alnwick, owning a small book store. They live a peaceful life until the city is attacked by the infamous air pirates The Black Order. The twins find themselves captured and taken to the ship. What do the pirates want with them? KandaxAllen / LavixMidnight</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was unbearable. It was so painful that she wanted to just close her eyes and never wake up again. Oh, God, what has this little poor lamb done to you to deserve this?  
„Midnight, stop spacing out and help me with this boxes.“ He came walking through the open door in the back room where she was lying on the cold floor. She winced as he opened the window to let some air in. It was in the middle of summer and the heat was suffocating.  
„But it's sooooo hooooot. I'm dying over here.“ Allen snorted and put the heavy box he was carrying in one hand on the table.  
„So?“ She fliped on her back and streched her arms up.  
„And you throw you hands in the air like you just don't care.“ She looked at him.  
„Or somethin' like that.“ He growled and smacked her hand.  
„That's because I really don't care if you feel hot or not. Come on, we have to bring this inside before the afternoon shift.“ She mumbeled something about him being an asshole but still got up and helped him bring the remaining few boxes inside. She looked out the open window.  
„Somethin' is in the air today.“ Her brother nodded and started opening the boxes.  
„It's bound to rain soon. This heat is exausting.“  
„So you do feel the heat!“  
„Midnight, I'm human. Of course I would feel it.“ She jumped up on the nearest chair and waved with her hands as if she was a bird. Idiot, he thought.  
„But you don't act like that at all. I mean, look! You're not even sweating!“  
„Would you shut up already?“ She stopped waving with her hands and tilted her head.  
„Are you on your period or somethin'?“  
„Midnight...“   
„Fine, I'll stop.“ Allen grumbled something and contiued unpacking. They spent the next half an hour organizing new books the two of them ordered for the shop. The petit bookstore on the outskirts of Alnwick, a small town near the sea, was popular with tourists that came here for their vacation and to see the famous moutain caves. They weren't exactly the richest persons in town but they made enough for normal life and savings for their holidays. Allen was the one to interact with customers while Midnight took care of the counter and money. She absolutely hated to deal with people she met for the first time. Plus, she was pretty good with numbers and organizing so Allen had no choice but to let her do what she wanted while he did the rest. But even though his twin sister disliked interraction with unknown people, she was the reason for the crowd to stop and double-check the store window. For most of the time anyway. What's true is true, Allen thought a lot of times. The two of them were quite an unusual couple. Twins, brother and sister, he with snow-white hair and a red scar on the left side of his face and she with night-black hair and a white lock intwited between the black mess. Both of them had silver gray eyes and according to town's people, they were also good-looking. Midnight denied that whenever somebody mentioned it while Allen just smiled. He sighed when he thought about that. Sometimes it was hard to keep the fake smile on but somebody had to at least try to keep the book store image up. And since Midnight had a quick temper, it all fell on his shoulders. He sighed once more and put another book on the shelf.   
„What's gotten into you, bro?“ She leaned with her back on the wall and tilted her head. „You've been sighing for last ten minutes.“ He looked at her. Then he furrowed his eyebrows.  
„Just thinking what a pain in the ass you are.“  
„Wha-?!“ The bell at the door rang and Midnight quickly shut her mouth to smile at the elderly couple that walked in. Before she went behind the counter to avoid contact, she shot an angry glare at her brother's direction. Allen just smiled innocently back and turned around to help the couple. It was so easy to annoy her.  
„Can I help you with anything?“ he asked and smiled brightly at the couple, a woman and a man. The woman smiled back and waved with her hand.  
„Thank you, young man, but we are just looking if anything interesting picks our eyes. Right, honey?“ The man, who was apparently her husband, nodded as quickly as he could when his wife turned her eyes at him. Midnight grimaced behind them at the counter. Allen send her a look, signaling her to stop and then looked back at the woman.   
„As you wish, madam. If you need any help, please just ask. My sister would be delighted to help you.“ He held back a chuckle as he felt Midnight freezing on the spot. Oh, how he loved to so this to her. The woman almost squeeled when she heard the words ''my sister''.  
„Oh, so the two of you ARE siblings? See, honey, didn't I tell you so?“ Her husband just nodded again and then looked at Allen apologeticaly. Allen's smile froze on his face. The woman, who was apparently oblivious to her suroundings, contiued in an excited voice.  
„You see, young man, this is our first visit to this town and we are staying with a couple of friends in that nice hotel next to beach. Oh, what is it called again?“  
„Starry Resort?“ Midnight thought out loud and immediately regretted that. The woman turned to her with gleaming eyes and a predator look.  
„Exactly! Well, one of those friends, Mary, God bless her soul, was here last year and she absolutely loved it! The caves, the town, the people! And she also visited your book shop and was astonished how two youngsters marveolusly run the buisness. But she had a problem, you see. She couldn't made up her mind if the two of you were siblings or … well, you know.“  
„Lovers?“ Allen suggested and the woman nodded. Midnight cursed under her breath:  
„Oh, for the love of God...“ The woman continued hurrily as if she was running out of time.  
„That is exactly what I said to Mary. 'Dear, you don't actually believe the two of them are lovers? You said it yourself that they look like dependable and proper-mannerd young people. People like that don't live together unless they are married and it seems pretty obvious they are not. I saw the names on the front door of the shop last time I went pass it.'“ She took a deep breath and launched again.  
„But of course she wouldn't admit she was wrong. Mary, she is such a good and kind-hearted person but her logic has it's weak moments.“ God, does this woman intend to talk all day? Midnight glanced at Allen and as if he has read her thoughts from her face, he shruged. The woman didn't notice the small interaction between the siblings and just contiued on and on about how she was right and her friend Mary was wrong. And it became clear that the only reason for the two of them to stop at the book store was to get a friends disagreement cleared up. After half an hour of woman's constant talking, the husband finally quietly suggested they leave since the day was coming to an end. His wife glanced at the clock, hanging in the corner near the door.  
„Oh my, is it really already that late? I'm so sorry, kids, it must've been tiring listening to my nagging.“  
„You don't say,“ Midnight muttered darkly. The woman smoothly overlooked that and Allen started to wonder if she ever listens to what others are saying. Most probably not, was his next thought as he waved the couple and locked the door. His sister sighed audibly behind the counter.  
„Because of that woman we lost the whole evening. Seriously, she talks likes it's her job.“  
„Perhaps it is. But that was really over the top.“ He rolled the metal blinders down and turned the lights off as Midnight took the money and locked it in the safe behid the picture in the small room which was more of a short corridor, with a small table, a chair and the back door, which connected the shop and the first floor of the building they owned. Narrow stairs led upstairs to the second floor where there were a kitchen and dining room combined in one room and a small bathroom. Their bedroom was in the third floor and was a place where they spent their free time when they weren't outside either on the beach or having a stroll around the caves. Both second and third floor had all of the free walls filled with books they had no intention of selling, either because they had emotional value or they were so old it would be impossible to find them anywhere else and were very valuable as such.. Midnight called them a 'golden stock', pointing out that these books are actually quite useful in a way and could be sold for a lot of money. But both od them agreed that they will sell them only in a case of an emergency. Allen followed his sister up the stairs to the second floor and sat down at the table. Midnight got a prepared salad from the fridge and placed it on the table along with two forks.   
„This month's earning is weak.“ Allen wrinkled his forhead.  
„How weak?“ Midnight took a bite and answered:  
„At least 10% lower that last month's. If it goes like this for the next six months, we'll have to find some new ways of promoting the shop. Perhaps something like giving out flyers on the beach or hanging posters through out the main tourist locations. But printing costs...“   
„Oh, it will probably go up again. The middle of the season is always a bit unstable.“  
„Don't think something like that. We have to be ready, just in case. You never know, something just may hit us. Like Cross, for example.“ Allen shuddered. Midnight clicked with her tounge and gave him a disapproving look.  
„I can't believe you are still afraid of that asshole. You should be pissed at him, not shaking like a wet dog whenever I mention his name. Pitiable.“ Allen just shrugged his shoulders, saying nothing. His master was a topic rarely mentioned in the house since he was absolutely terrified of him while Midnight couldn't say master's name without the contempt pouring from her words. All in all, it was safer not to mention him at all.   
„You coward.“ Midnight took another bite and shook her head. „Unbelivable.“ Allen frowned.  
„Excuse me, but you don't know what is it like to be his apprentice. You wouldn't be talking like that if you were in my shoes.“  
„Oh, of course not. Because I would already kick his fucking ass to the point he wouldn't be able to move, less alone sit behind a desk and play poker.“  
„Such foul language ,“ Allen murmured and chewed on the last bite of the sallad. He then made a suprised face as he noticed the empty bowl.  
„What, already gone? Is there nothing more?“   
„We just ate a full bowl of it, and I believe it is necessary to mention it was a huge bowl.“  
„But I'm still hungry.“  
„Allen, we already spend the money we had for this week groceries. We can't afford more.“ Midnight took the bowl and forks and placed them into the sink. She then pulled out a small notebook from her sweater pocket, opened it and nodded after a few seconds.  
„We definitly can't afford spending more money on food. Sorry, you'll be on a diet this week.“ Allen's face turned from desperate to horrofied. She sighed on the inside. Seriously, this idiot brother of hers...  
„Listen, dear. You know the deal. We take 5% from every months earning for our holiday money, 10% for that fucking master of yours and10% for critical times. With the money we have left we need to pay the bills for electricity, water and wood for heating. Then there is the house loan we have to pay back to the bank and costs that come with the store. You know very well that if we have a bad month, I'll just cut down where I can.“  
„But why is it always food?,“ Allen complained like a little child.   
„Because it is the easiest way. If you are that desperated you can still go work for a few weeks at that mexican place near by like you did the last time. I'm sure Jose will be happy to have you working there.“ Her brother grimaced.  
„Are you kidding? This place almost fell apart last time I went to work there. You may be good with numbers, my beloved sister, but when it comes to customers... Well, let's just say you'd get the lowest score possible at that subject.“ Midnight groweled.  
„I would be able to do that just fine if there weren't so many perverts among the tourtist. I swear to God, every third of the guys that came in the shop alone asked me if I would like to get fucked. I mean, do I look like a motherfucking whore?“ She raised her voice at the last words and clenched her fists. Allen quickly shook his head. This is bad, he thought. If she gets even more upset... He touched her shoulder and squeezed it.  
„Midnight, calm down. It won't help you if you get upset now.“  
„I can still go to the hotel and beat the living shit out of those guys.“  
„Middy...“  
„FINE.“ The word was nothing than an irritated growl which was followed by loud footsteps as she made her way up to the third floor to their room. Allen sighed and followed her. When he got to the room he found his sister laying on her bed murmuring something into the pillow.   
„Midnight, stop it. You know very well you can't cast a curse upon them.“  
„I can still try,“ came an mischievous answer. Allen chuckled.  
„So what kind of a curse did you come up with?“ Midnight lifted up her head and looked at him. Her eyes were gleaming. Oh, how she likes to do something she shouldn't, Allen thought to himself and sat down on his bed. He returned the look.  
„So?“ She jumped of the bed and started to walk around the room in circles, waving with her arms as she always did when she was excited.  
„I made it so that they would be kidnapped.“ Allen raised one eyebrow.  
„Kidnapped? Really? By who?“  
„The air pirates.“ Allen raised one eyebrow in suprise.  
„What, seriously? What made you come up with that idea?“  
„I read about it in the newspapers last week. About a black pirate airship going around stealing everything and killing everybody.“ She turned on her hills towards him and her eyes seemed full of stars because they were shining so much from the excitement.   
„Nobody knows what their main goal is but they are getting closer to us. Just yesterday I heard the Berkely sisters talking about it. They were shaking just like you when I mention Cross.“ Allen shuddered. Midnight laughed.  
„Just like that, yes. Anyway, most of those guys is well loaded so they are perfect targets for the pirates, don't you think? Just imagine their screames when they would found out there is no way out of this. The swing of a sword, the bang of a gun. Oh, such fun...“ The crooked smile on her face scared Allen way more that his master's name. She is going to the way she was before. He calmy got up and placed his hands on her shoulders, then shook her lightly.  
„Midnight, come back to reality. There is no way you can cast a curse upon those guys and there is no way for those air pirates to come here, to our town. We have nothing worth mentioning here in Alnwick.“  
„What about our shop?“ This time he shook her harder.  
„Get real. It's just a small shop. We barely make it through the month, you know that better than I do. Snap out of it.“ Suddenly, the smile disappeared from her face and was replaced with horrified expresion. Her face turned pale and Allen had to support her when her legs gave up to the tension.  
„Allen, I...“  
„Shh, it's okay.“ He hugged her tightly when quiet sobs started to escape her lips. She shook her head.  
„I was just so mad. I didn't even realize where my thoughts were going...“  
„I already said it's okay.“ He pushed her away so that he could look into her eyes.  
„That part of your personality won't disappear that quickly. I took years for it to build and it will most probably take even longer for it to vanish. You just have to remember who you are and besides,“ he smiled. „You have me. Look at this gorgeus face. It will snap you right out of it.“ She couldn't help herself and snickered at the statement.  
„I like it when you joke like that.“ Allen pouted and faked that he was offended.  
„How cruel can you be.“  
„And how funny you can be, dear brother.“ She hugged him tightly for a second and then let go.  
„But now that I mentioned it; it does worry me a little.“  
„What, your personality?“ Midnight shot him a glare before she sat down on her bed and hugged the pillow.  
„No, the air pirates. They ARE coming closer. What if they decide to attack Alnwick?“  
„Don't be ridiculous. What in the world would be they doing here? We are just a small city that happens to have really great caves and a beautiful beach. Nothing more than that.“  
„You forgot to mention a bunch of hotels and their loaded customers. It's perfect.“ Allen sighed.  
„I keep telling you there is no way that this air pirates with a black ship would come here so stop thinking about...“

BOOM!

They stood frozen for a few seconds before Midnight looked at him and said with a sarcastic tone:  
„No way, huh?“


	2. Chapter 2

„You stupid, stupid human.“ Her voice was shaking from suprise and anxiety.  
„Shut up and move, for God's sake! We don't even know if that really was a canon shot.“ His voice was no different.  
„Oh, and what do you suppose it is? A gas explosion?“ Came an uttered bark in return.  
„It could be“, Allen murmured and pushed Midnight to the side of the window so that he was able to look outside. She almost immediately yanked him back, away from it. Allen let out a suprised noise which made Midnight grit her teeth. She made him take a few steps to back to the center to the room and gave him an angry look.  
„Idiot! What if they are outside, looking?!“ He shook her hand off.  
„Jesus, Midnight, don't be histerical!“  
„I will stop being ''histerical'', as you call it, when you take the needed measurements for you own safety, idiot! Now, if you want to look outside at least let me turn off the lights first. Thankfully, the sun has already set.“ She pulled him back again and then headed towards the light switch.  
„How will that help us in any way?“ He asked, annoyed. She stopped midway to the light switch near the door to look at him. Her eyes were full of disbelief. Allen got annoyed and nervous.  
„What now?“ His sister sighed and just shook her head.  
„Sometimes you can be such and idiot.“  
„Just one more proof that we are related.“ She growled and pushed the switch with a little bit too much force so that the plastic around it cracked. Allen turned her way.  
„What was that noise?“  
„My patience running out.“  
„Ha ha, very funny.“  
„I know.“ The panic they felt at the beginning started to disappear but that was normal for them. They rarely lost their nerves but even if they did, it would never take them long before they were calm again. She joined him beside the window. From there they had almost a perfect view to the shore and the main plaza, which was now packed with people, mostly tourists, who were wondering what that loud bang meant. Only a minute later the loud buzzing of the people was interrupted by yet another bang, with the only difference that this one was much louder. Allen could see a huge black figure hovering above the sea not to far away from the beach. His body shook. There was something unpleasant about a big air ship, hidden in the darkness of the night. He wasn't the only one who noticed it. The people who were on the beach enjoying the evening walking around or having a late swin, started to run away screaming which caused panic among the crowd at the plaza. And not too long after the second bang, the plaza was full of screaming people running everywhere, without knowing what exactly to do. They stood there for some time before Midnight finally said with a shaky voice:  
„They are here.“ Allen could just nod. They watched as the completely black ship slowly sailed right into the middle of the plaza. The panic now was indescribable.  
„Allen...“ He turned to her. Her eyes were big and, not scared, but nervous.  
„What do we do now?“ He patted her head. Calm her down for now, he said to himself. That is the most important thing right now.  
„We stay low, remember? You said that the first time master came for a visit.“ A mention of Cross made Midnight's eyes glint with anger. Allen managed to hide relief. He knew it was better for her if she was angry. Her being unsure and scared meant nothing but trouble. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door.  
„So that means we have to hide the money. Come on.“ They ran down the stairs to the first floor and Midnight hurridly opened the safe while Allen removed a few floorboards to review a small box-shaped hole under the floor. It was a routine they perfected for cases of Cross's visit or other situations, like an attack of a pirate ship. Midnight counted the money and passed it to Allen who put it into the hole and sealed it shut. He jumped on the floorboards a few times to secure them in place and looked at his sister.   
„This should do it for now.“ She nodded. Then she pointed with her finger up.  
„It would be for the best if we hide in the bedroom. If they do come in, we can still manage to escape on the roof.“ Allen smiled darkly.  
„Who would ever thought that your emergency escape plan would have a chance to actually be executed. That must be... what? One in a million?“  
„One in a four thousand and thirteen, actually.“ She snickered at his unamused face.  
„I had a little bit too much time on my hands.“ In that instant the floor beneath them rocked and made them fall down. The moving was accompanied with a loud noise, crashing and breaking, filling their ears to the brim. When Midnight came to her senses, she could hear only ringing in her ears.   
„Allen!“ She streched her hand into the dust around her. She was disoriented but she could feel Allen somewhere near her. Thank God for twins connection, she thought.  
„I'm okay“, he caughed and reached for her hand. „Just swallowed a lot of dust. Shit.“ He caughed again and helped her to her feet. They looked around. The door leading to the store was on the floor which enabled them to see the destroyed inside of it, broken windows and glass all over the store floor. Allen could feel Midnight anger from before coming back in strong waves. He strengthened the grip on her hand. As it turned out, he was just in time. She would jump right into the messed up inside of the store but since Allen was holding her, she only managed to drag him a few meters forward.  
„Those sons of bitches!“  
„Midnight...!“  
„Let me go! LET. ME. GO! I'm going to fucking kill them!“  
„Midnight, for heaven's sake, calm down! We have to get to safety!“ Their voices were loud and he knew she doesn't even realise they were literary welcoming the attackers into their home.  
„Those guys need to get to safety! Fuck them! It took us half a year to pay those windows back!“ She was furious and only Allen clinging to her stopped her from running to the street and start her search for the air pirates. With some troubles he managed to turn her so that she was facing him and shook her hard.  
„Stop it right now! Do you realise we could be in serious danger?“  
„Those guys are in serious danger...“  
„Shut up!“ She closed her eyes. Her lips trembeled. It was too much for her. She loved the book store as her own child, Allen knew. He leaned his forhead against hers. He breathed out.  
„Listen to me. We can get the windows repaired.“  
„But...“   
„If it takes half a year to pay them back, then it will. But you and me... We can't be repaired. Not if we are destroyed to that point.“ His voice cracked at the end and he took a deep breath.  
„You need to calm down. You know that is not good for you to get too upset. So please...“ Midnight could just nod. She knew what Allen was thinking of. He already lost one member of the family they never really had. He never got over it, even after so many years. He was showing that in times like this. Over-protective, she thought absent-mindedly. She liked that in a way; but she was worried that in the end it will cause him nothing but troubles.  
„Don't move.“ They jumped apart. The deep male voice was coming from the shadows. The only thing they could see was a sharp tip of a sword, no matter how hard they tried to make out what is a wall and what a part of a human body. Allen pushed Midnight behind his back to protect her. She stumbeled backwards.  
„Allen! What the hell do you think you're doing?“ There was an annoyed sound from the darkness.  
„Be quiet.“ The man in the shadows stepped forth but they still could not see his face. Midnight peeked over Allen's shoulder. The only thing she could make out was the fact that the man is tall. There was a hint of an accent in his voice.   
„What do you want with us?“ She could swear she heard a 'che' sound., before the man shifted his feet more to the left side of them. She felt Allen's body tensing up.  
„Allen...“  
„Stay there“, he answered to her.  
„Lavi, get the girl.“   
„Gotcha.“ There was a movement behind her back and Midnight yelped as she was pulled away from Allen. He turned around and tried to grab her hand.  
„Midnight! Let go of her!“   
„You heard him! Let me go!“ She punched and kicked, trying to get free. Strong arms were holding her so that she wasn't able to land even one hit. She could hear Allen fighitng with the other man and she felt the fear that started to grow in her. He doesn't have a weapon. How can he possibly defend himself? The man holding her smacked her fist away.  
„Woah, easy there. I don't want to hurt you.“ There was a short pause as she felt her prisoner look over her head to the shadows where the other man was standing. There was a long sigh.  
„Kanda, what in the world are you doing?“ Midnight took a moment to stay still and looked in the same direction. Her eyes widened.  
„Don't!“ She turned just in the moment to see the man hit Allen on the head. His body slumped to the ground like a bag.   
„NO!“ She started resisting even more. „Let me go! Let me go!! No! Allen!“ She was scared. So scared...  
„Jesus, stop it already.“ A hand came in front of her face and the next moment she breathed in something that smelled awfull. A wet cloth was pressed to her face, with that smell coming along.  
„What...“ She turned her eyes up, hoping to at least see who is holding her.  
„Shh, it's okay.“ There was a flash of bright green and a red colour. Her eyelids trembeled as she fought the sleepiness.  
„Allen...“ She could barely open her mouth.  
„Don't worry, he's okay. Kanda just gets annoyed really quickly and does a sloopy job.“  
„What was that, you stupid rabbit?“  
„Oh, come on, Yuu-chan. I was just telling the truth. You know, the last time...“ Allen is okay, she thought and felt relieved. With nothing else holding her up she let the sleep take over her.


	3. Chapter 3

„But I don't want to.“ A little girl with black hair pouted and sat on the floor, with her arms crossed.  
„It's not right.“ She heard a sigh and looked up. An old man sitting before her slowly stood up and kneeled before her.  
„Listen. I know it's hard for you, considering your past. But now is different. You have a home. A family.“ She shook her head.  
„But they don't like me. I heard them. They said I wiggled my way in, playing my cards as being a cute helpless kid who doesn't even know how to wipe her ass.“ The old man laughed and ruffeled her hair.  
„They just need some time. Don't worry. Soon they will wonder how they managed without you.“  
Sen..sei? She tried to grab hold of the picture but her mind wasn't fast enough. She felt sort of numb. And her head hurts...  
„Midnight? Midnight! Are you okay?“   
„Allen...“ She managed to open her eyes and came face to face with Allen's worried expression. In an instant his face brightened up and he smiled.  
„You're awake! Thank God!“ Her eyes quickly scanned the surroudings. They were in a small room with a miniature round window high up on the wall in front of her. The doors were most probably behind her, as she couldn't see them. She looked back at Allen and grimaced.   
„You're too close.“ He just smiled happily and helped her to sit up. She wimpered. Her head felt like it was spliting apart. Allen looked at her.  
„You okay?“ She nodded even though the thumping became almost unbearable. She was already somewhat used to it from before even though that was years ago. She learned how to live with the pain. But no matter how hard she tried, she never overcame her body's weakness to bear with drugs, no matter how weak the drug actually was.   
„That stupid idiot... Who ever he was.“ Midnight looked at her brother.  
„How is your head?“  
„Oh... fine.“ Allen reached with his hand to the top of his head and made a painful expression as he touched the bump.  
„It's not as bad as I thought it would be.“ For the first time after she opened her eyes, her face relaxed a bit.  
„That's good. By the way, you woke up before me, right? Did anyone say why are we here?“ Her brother shook his head.   
„There was nobody around from the moment I woke up. There seems to be a lot of going on up there, though.“ He pointed with his finger up, towards the ceiling. They could hear footsteps and loud, excited talking of many people. Allen sighed audibly so that she looked at him.  
„Also, we departured not too long ago.“  
„Departured?“  
„Sailed off.“ Silence. They she exploded.  
„You mean to say we are on a ship?!“  
„Not a ship. THE ship. The air pirates' ship.“ Her legs would most probably gave up on her if she wasn't already sitting on the floor.  
„Holy cow.“ Her eyes looked at the window. Then she looked back at him.  
„Help me get up.“ Allen gave her a worried face, with eyebrows furrowed.  
„I don't think that is a great idea...“  
„If you don't help me, I'll do it myself.“  
„Fine, geez. Here, give me your hand.“ He helped her on her feet and her body wobbled for a few seconds before she stepped forth to the window. But then she realised something. She was to short to see.  
„Goddamnit,“ she grumbeled under her breath. Her head did reach the window but even when she stepped on her toes the only thing she saw was the sky above them. She glared at Allen who was snickering beside her.  
„Stop grinning, you idiot, and look outside.“  
„It's no different from what you see.“   
„Wha...“  
„I can see just fine through from here, you know. Some of us aren't so... how to say... short-handed on some talents.“ He winked at her and laughed as she tried to hit him with her fist.  
„You...“  
CLACK.  
They froze on the spot when the doors' lock suddenly made a noise and Allen felt Midnight's body tensing up.   
„Relax, they must have a good reason for kidnapping us so they most probably won't hurt us,“ he tried to calm her down as they watched door opening. Midnight made a slight movement with her head.  
„And what if they don't and they just brought us here on a whi...“  
„I am so sorry.“ The twins stared shocked at the person who opened the door.   
„A girl...“ Midnight whispered to Allen. The girl had long, really dark green hair in two pigtails high on her head and she had the most beautiful dark-coloured eyes Midnight had ever seen. The girl bowed deeply and then hurridly continued apologizing as she walked towards them.  
„I am honestly extremely sorry. I had no idea the two of them would go as far as locking you two up since that was not in the plan. I'd come to get you sooner but I only just found out. Oh, where are my manners.“ She smiled. „Please, forgive me. My name is Lenalee Lee, I'm in charge of the library on The Black Order, which is the ship's name, by the way.“ Asian, Midnight thought as she heard her talk and noticed a small hint of an accent. Then she looked at her face again (she was studying her uniform until then) and cursed in her head. Stupid, of course she's Asian. Just look at her face. You can't miss those eyes. Lenalee shook hands with Allen.  
„You must be Allen Walker. And you Midnight Kuro.“ The two girls shook hands. „If you would like to follow me, we have a room ready for you upstairs. This room is mostly used as storage but is currently empty so Kanda and Lavi must've used the chance and put you two in. But I still can't understand why. Maybe Lavi made Kanda angry again...,“ she murmured while they were making their way upstairs. She led them to the room which was most probably on the front part of the ship, at least Midnight had that kind of feeling. Lenalee opened one door on the left and they followed her in a big bright room with a relatively large round table. She turned back to them to explain.  
„This is the conference room. I thought it would be better for the first time since it's bigger than other rooms. My brother will come latter; he is the captain of this ship but there is no need to think that he's scary just because of that. Actually,“ she laughed quietly. „He can act like a spoilt child sometimes but you'll get used to that.“  
„I doubt that.“ Only then Allen noticed two persons sitting on the opposite site of the table. Midnight made an annoyed voice as he moved in front of her. Lenalee noticed that and shook her head.  
„There is no need for that, Allen-kun. The two of them,“ at that she glared at the guys who kidnapped Allen and Midnight, a tall dark haired Asian and a redhead with an eyepatch. „Won't ever do anything like they did to you. Do we have an understanding?“  
„Sure.“ The redhead smiled cheekily while the other one just grumbled something. Lenalee nodded in satisfaction and showed the twins two nearest chairs to sit on.   
„Excuse me.“ Midnight frowned, not sitting down. Lenalee looked at her.  
„Yes?“  
„I'm confused. I thought we were some kind of hostages or somethin' like that...“ Lenalee tilted her head.  
„Of course not. I thought everybody settled on this plan since it was the most... realistic one.“  
„Plan?,“ Allen asked. „What plan?“   
„How to bring you two on the ship without the bad guys noticing,“ answered the red head. Lenalee nodded to that and asked:  
„Didn't Cross-san tell you about this?“ Allen's face turned pale and his body shook.   
„Cross?“ His eyes jumped to his sister. Midnight's voice was arctic cold which didn't went by unnoticed. Lenalee and the two guys all looked at her, Lenalee with a worried expression, the guys with a suprised one. Allen tried to grab hold of Midnight's hand but she smacked it away. She was still looking at Lenalee.  
„Are you saying that this is that bastard's doing?“  
„Well, not really. The idea to get you two on this ship was his, but the way to do it was ours,“ Lenalee answered. „Is there a problem?“  
„A problem? Of course there is!“  
„Midnight...“  
„No! Don't tell me to calm down!“ She was on a verge of exploding. „I've had enough of him! It's always his doing that affects our life in the most terrible way possible while he just walks away as if it's none of his buisness! Where is he?!“ At that she turned back to Lenalee who tried to hide the shivering of her body. The Asian stood up, his hand on the handle of his sword. Allen noticed that and grabed Midnight's shoulder.  
„Middy, calm down, please.“  
„How the fuck am I suppose to calm down?! Because of that fucking bastard and those guys... ,“ at that she pointed to the two men on the other side of the table. But when she wanted to continue talking, almost screaming, her face turned red and she started breathing heavily. Lenalee jumped up and helped Allen to support her.  
„What is wrong?“  
„A chair! Get a chair!,“ Allen said and Lenalee pulled the chair she was sitting on before closer and helped Allen to get Midnight to sit on it. Her face was flushed and she was having troubles breathing. Allen grabbed the back of her head and forced her to lean down so that her head was between her knees.  
„A-llen...“  
„Don't talk, concetrate on breathing.“ Midnight nodded and tried to take in deep breaths even though she wanted to breathe qiuckly. Lenalee stood beside them, scared and worried.  
„Is she going to be okay?“ Allen gave a small nod after a few minutes.  
„Most probably. Do you have some hawthorn tea by any chance?“  
„There is a possibility of that.“  
„Can someone make it? Just one cup will do for now.“ He looked at his sister with a worried expresion. „Since we left our house so quickly, we had no time to take her tea with us.“ Lenalee nodded and left the room, before that shoting a look to the guys who came closer in the mean time. The red head grinned back and just waved with his hand.  
„Don't worry, Lenalee. I'll make sure Kanda will behave properly.“ The Asian growled in return. Midnight coughed at that.  
„Just breath,“ Allen said and massaged her back. She made a sound deep down in her throat which made the red head grin.  
„She doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain.“  
„It's not pain,“ Allen answered with annoyed face back. „It's high blood pressure.“  
„Is it serious?“   
„Lavi, stop asking questions all the time.“ The Asian, whose name was apparently Kanda, made an irritated sound. Lavi smiled.  
„Is it wrong for me to be curious?“  
„After what you have done, yes.“ Allen was the one to answer. „I hope you understand it is mostly your fault for her state.“  
„What? What have we done wrong?“  
„For one, you destroyed the windows of our shop. Two, you druged her and she does not bear good with drugs. I bet she has a headache now. Three, you guys are working with master.“  
„Does she hate him?“  
„Absolutely detests him ,“ Allen said dryly. Lenalee came back with a cup of steaming tea and handed it to Allen. He thanked her and nudged Midnight to lift her upper body back up and looked at her face.  
„How are you feeling?“  
„Terrible.“ Her voice was weak and hoarse and her face was still flushed. Lenalee sat down beside her and patted her knee.  
„I'm sorry for all of this. I thought Cross-san told you about all of this.“  
„He's a fucking idiot...“ Midnight started but Allen shut her up.  
„Drink this.“ He forced her to start drinking the tea and then looked at Lenalee who shook her head once.  
„Since it's like this, we'll continue tommorow. I'll tell my brother after I show you your room. By the way, I hope you don't mind, but there is only one king sized bed. You two are...“ She coughed. „You two are a couple, right?“ Allen stared wide open at her.  
„Fuck no.“ Midnight lifted her head to look at all three of them.  
„We are not a couple, for fuck's sake.“  
„Then what is your relationship?“ Lavi looked at her questionably. She gave him a cold smile.  
„We are twins.“


	4. Chapter 4

„So I thought like this would be for the best. At least for now,“ Allen finished explaining. Lenalee nodded at his words. They were on the deck to get some fresh air and to avoid meeting either Kanda or Lavi or both of them. Those guys really know how to make a first impression, Lenalee sighed and then smiled at Allen.   
„I presume you will tell Midnight-chan later what I am going to tell you know. You most probably know in which way to tell her so that she doesn't get upset. She seems to not think very fondly of general Cross.“ Allen smiled dryly.  
„At the moment he is the number one on her black list, so to speak.“ He leaned back and looked somewhere in the distance. Lenalee took that as a sign that she can begin explaining.  
„I believe it is appropriate to explain just who we are. As you may have noticed we are not air pirates, even though we travel across the land by an air ship. And a black one, to top.“ She snickered. „That was my brother's idea. You will meet him at dinner today, if Midnight will feel well enough for that. To continue. We are a part of government's defense system, so to say - our sector is specialized in dealing with terrorism, as well from the inside as from the outside. General Cross, one of our best agents, is currently working on an important undercover mission, which was the reason he couldn't protect you two by himself. So he decided to activate us to protect you for the time being until this issue is resolved. Of all of the groups in our sector, we are the one with the most freedom which is one of the basic needs for us to work at our best and thus we were able to slip the ''rescue mission'' into our schedule without the higher ups breathing down our necks.“  
„Excuse me, but why would we need to be protected at all?“ Allen suddenly interupted her. The girl furrowed her eyebrows at that.  
„This is one of the things general Cross agreed to do himself, explaining the circumstances to you two that is.“  
„He never was the one to do his chores.“   
„So it would seem, but I'm afraid I won't be of much help as far as this matter is concerned. We were not told in detail who is it that is targeting you two or even how the information was leaked out which brother finds very concerning.“ Allen grimaced.  
„That sounds very like the situation master would get himself into. Can you just answer me one question?“ He gave her a half smile.  
„Is he at least any good at doing his missions?“ Lenalee giggled.  
„It seems that both you and your sister share the same trait, that is not trusting general Cross. But I must say that even though he has a reputation of slacking around, he does carry out his misisons quite successfully. Actually, he is at the top as far as mission success is concerned.“  
„What, really? So there is some use of him in the end.“  
„Midnight!“ Allen jumped off his chair when Midnight snarled sarcastically next to them.  
„What in the world are you doing here? You should be resting!“  
„I got bored. Decided to explore a bit but almost ran into those two idiots. That's how I ended up here.“ Her eyes wandered around. „Quite a view you have here.“ Lenalee smiled and showed her a chair next to Allen to sit down and Midnight gladly took her invitation.  
„It is really pretty at sunny days like today and even rainy days but only when the shield is on.“  
„The shield?“   
„When there is rain, we usually put up the so called ''shield'' around the ship so that we can move around even when it rains.“  
„So it's sort of a wall, then?“ Midnight leaned forward a little, obviously interested.  
„Yes, you could say than. If you want to know more, I can ask Johnny to tell you in detail about it. I'm afraid I'm only good with dokuments. And occasional missions.“ Allen looked suprised.  
„You do missions too?“   
„Yes, as a matter of fact, I do but rarely. Brother does not like it so I only go when it's necessary. He says it's too dangerous for a girl to be fighting even if it's just gathering information.“ Allen made an approving face.  
„I agree with your brother... Ouch! Midnight!“ He tried to defend himself as punches landed on his upper body, the first one hitting his head. He jumped off the chair and stepped away, keeping his eyes on the now angry girl. Midnight opened her hand and then made it into a fist again, all the while glaring at Allen.  
„Don't even go there. We had this argument too many times.“  
„But I still think you should not fight,“ Allen said back, a bit of desperation colouring his voice. As Lenalee listened to their fight of words, Allen trying to stay calm and Midnight not even minding that the words that came out of her mouth were mostly curses, she concluded that they cared about each other to a similar level that she cared about her brother. That brought a smile to her face.   
„You are a whole new level of an idiot,“ Midnight finally barked at Allen and raised from her chair. „I cannot believe that we are related.“ Oh, yes, Lenalee giggled to herself. Exactly like me and Brother.   
„I return the compliment.“ Allen looked apologetically at Lenalee. „I must apologize in my sister's name. She tends to forget to mind her language when she gets upset.“ At that his eyes flickered at Midnight which made the girl growl. Lenalee smiled.  
„It's okay, I'm used to it. Kanda-kun is also like that.“  
„I'm not sure I like that comparison,“ Midnight murmured.  
„Midnight!“


	5. Chapter 5

Midnight stood before the king size bed she was ''forced'' to share with Allen for the time being as said person walked through the door. He lifted one eyebrow and put a red-and-white stripped ribbon around his neck.  
„Still haven't decided?“ The girl made an undistinctive sound and lifted up a piece of clothing that was laying on the bed. Lenalee was kind enough to ask around the crew if there were any clothes the twins could borrow to wear until the ship reached Paddock Wood, the town they were headed for, and they could go and buy some of their own. For Allen there was more than enough whereas for Midnight... not that much. There were only five girls on the ship from which only two had clothes that would fit her. She scanned the dark green dress sceptically.  
„It's not that I can't decide. It's just...“ She moved her lips in a strange way. „It's a DRESS.“ Allen couldn't help but chuckle.  
„And we all know you're no good with dresses.“  
„Simply because you can't do a damn ding-dong thing with a whole tone of fabric around your body.“ She put the dress back on the bed and lifted up another one, a black laced one. With a sigh she left it go so that it fell on top of the green one.  
„Sometimes I hate being a girl ,“ she mumbled and threw herself on the bed.  
„Be careful, you might wrinkled the clothes ,“ Allen said and tugged the ribbon as he finished. „Lenalee and that other girl were nice enough to lend you their clothes, you could at least try not to destroy them.“ Midnight just waved with her hand in his general direction and hugged the pillow.  
„I don't wanna go.“ Allen sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
„You have to.“  
„But I don't wannaaaa...“   
„You spoilt, spoilt child ,“ Allen said with a serious tone and pulled at her hair. Midnight giggled as she knew what was coming next. Her brother puffed out his cheeks and continued.  
„I work hard all day long to make sure you will have a nice life and what do you give me in return?“   
„Just this gorgeous face to look at ,“ Midnight answered with a voice that was at least two pitches higher than her usual.  
„You insolent child!“ Allen hit her with the nearest pillow he could reach. To this point, Midnight was laughing out loud, holding her stomach and rolling on the bed, trying to get away from the swaying pillow.  
„Stop it! Please, stop it!“ She could hardly breath as she stopped rolling around and so it was Allen's turn to burst out laughing.  
„You … look … awful!“ He managed to say in between laughs and giggles. „You hair … is like … everywhere...“ She tried with her hand if that was true. Allen started laughing hysterically at that.  
„Oh, shut up, will ya?“ But she still laughed alongside him. They both calmed down after few minutes and Allen took a deep breath.  
„I must say, that was the closes you ever got to her voice. I think the actress would be pleased with you.“ Midnight streched out her arms.  
„Thank you very much.“ It was almost a year ago since they saw the play Daughter and Mother in the town next to Alnwick but the main dialogue was still stuck in their heads. So there were quite a few situations in which they used it. Mainly when one of them didn't want to do something. It always helped to lift up the atmosphere. Allen sighed and put the pillow back.  
„Now get dresses or we will be late.“  
„But I have nothing to wear.“  
„An eternal women problem,“ Allen murmured and received a pillow to the head. Midnight was glaring at him.  
„We have already disscused this. We are not doing it again.“  
„Fine, fine...“ He raised from the bed and stepped to the dresser. He showed Midnight a piece of clothing and tilted his head.  
„How about this? Should be fine, right?“ He gave her a smile.  
„But it will be you explaining Lenalee why you are wearing this.“  
Lenalee put down the tray with sweets and looked around the conference room. The big roundish table the twins saw the first day, was currently stored in pieces in the same room they were ''imprisoned''. It's almost time for them to arrive, she thought and looked around. The party was her brother's idea he thought of it after he heard how the twins were ''welcomed'' on to the ship. Whole crew agreed on this, partialy also because any reason was good enough to have a party. Sometimes they really needed a breather. She scanned the room again to make sure everybody was here. Kanda was trying to get away from Lavi, who was in a teasing mood once again, while Marie and Miranda were laughing at them. Krory was talking to Reever and Johnny had troubles controlling Timothy who was running around the room, making everybody laugh, since Emilia, his teacher and nanny, wasn't here at the moment. Children weren't usually allowed on The Black Order' s ships but Emilia was great at organizing and since nobody could take care of Timothy, who she adopted, while she was away, the higher-ups made an exception and let him stay on the ship. Nobody complained; it was fun to have him around even though he was trouble most of the time. Lenalee couldn't help but smile while thinking that as she organized the glasses. Hopefully the twins will get along with him.   
„Lenalee!“ She turned around and was greeted by her brother's smiling face.  
„Yes, Brother?“  
„Would you mind going to check on our guests? They seem to be late.“  
„Sure, just give me a minute to finish organizing this and I'll leave to check on them.“ Komui nodded. The next second, a change of atmosphere made the both of them look towards the door. Lenalee smiled.  
„Guess there is no need for me to go after all.“ Her brother also smiled and stepped towards Allen, who was standing awkwardly at the door, his eyes going around the room. Lenalee joined Komui as he shook Allen's hand.  
„It is a pleasure to finnaly meet you, Allen-kun. I believe I still owe you an apology for the rough welcome on the ship.“ Allen smiled somewhat nervously, Lenalee noticed, and shook his head.  
„It's okay, really.“ There was a shifting noise behind him.  
„Since you couldn't have known that those two will act like such idiots and do that.“ Midnight poked her head from behind Allen and first glared at Kanda and Lavi then smiled to Komui who returned the smile.   
„I'm glad to hear that. I see the clothes fit you well, Allen-kun. We will arrive at Paddock Wood tomorrow afternoon so I hope they will be sufficient until then.“ Allen nodded. Timothy, who was hiding behind Lenalee, suddenly pointed at Midnight and exlaimed:  
„Why are you wearing men's clothes?“ Lenalee shifted her eyes from Allen to Midnight and furrowed her eyebrows. Allen fidgeted nervously, Lavi grinned and Kanda looked unamused. Everybody else in the room just looked from one to another, asking one another with their eyes what exactly is going on. Midnight stepped from behind Allen.  
„Oh, NOW I understand,“ Johnny said to Tapp in a low voice. At this moment the twins looked so similar to each other than never before – both of them in black pants, white shirt and a vest; Allen also had a ribbon around his neck. Lenalee eyed both of them with a wondering look.   
„I suppose there was some sort of the problem with the clothes?“ Allen fidgeted on the spot, obviously nervous, so Midnight answered instead of him.  
„Well, the fact is that I used to wear men's clothes for quite a number of years and am still getting used to wearing dresses. Not that there is anything wrong with the one you provided; they are just not the kind I feel most comfortable in and I didn't want to destroy them by potentionaly falling and ripping them or anything similar like that.“ Lenalee smiled, releived.  
„Oh, so it's like that.“  
„I'm really sorry for this,“ Allen stuttered. Midnight shoved her elbow into his side. Her brother gasped from the sudden pain.  
„Ow, Midnight, what the hell?“  
„You're acting as if Cross is here,“ she hissed through her teeth and glared at him. „For the love of God, grow some balls, will you,“ she added in a low voice so that no one could hear them. Lenalee watched them arguing quietly, Midnight being annoyed again by something and Allen trying to explain something else to her. She sighed and turned to everybody else standing in the room.  
„Now, let me introduce you Allen and Midnight...“  
The party was going smoothly, if you could call it that. Midnight calmed down somehow and Allen seemed to relax a little bit so they were able to talk to others in a calm manner, excluding Kanda and Lavi. To Lenalee's suprise, Midnight clicked immediately with a few guys from the science departement and she could hear the black-haired girl asking all sorts of questions, starting with the shield around the ship. And as for Allen, it seemed that Johnny decided to take care of him and keeping him company while having small chit-chat with everybody else who wanted to say hi to the boy. Then Lenalee noticed something. She stepped to Johnny and patted his shoulder.  
„Johnny, I'm sorry to bother you but do you know where Timothy is?“ Johnny's eyes behind round glasses widened in fear.  
„Oh God, I completely forgot about him.“ He looked around. „I'll go search for him right away.“  
„No, no, it's okay, I'll do it. You stay by Allen-kun's side and make sure that either Kanda or Lavi don't start making troubles.“ He nodded and smiled. She patted his shoulder once again and left to search for the boy, hoping that he was not doing something he shouldn't be. But just as she was about to open the door, the said boy came running through and crashed with her.  
„Timothy! We already discussed the 'running around' thing. Do we need to do it again?“  
„The radio...“ Lenalee made a confused face.  
„Pardon?“  
„There is someone on the radio! They are saying something about talking to the captain and a pass or something like that, I couldn't understand them!“ Lenalee furrowed her eyebrows.  
„But the alarm would go off before they could be in the range of our radio, so how it's that possible...“ At that moment the lively chatter in the conference room was literary killed by a long high-pitched sound, cutting through air as a knife through butter. For a moment everything froze and in the second every single person starter running to his or hers designed location. Komui shouted a few orders around before walking fast to Lenalee and Timothy.  
„Lenalee, take Timothy to the library and make sure that everybody there is ready if there is a case of an emergency. Johnny, Tapp, we are going to the radio room.“ He stopped for a moment to look at the last four remaining, Kanda, Lavi and the twins. After a second of thinking he said:  
„Midnight, Allen, you are coming with us to the radio room, with Kanda and Lavi following, just in case this guys are after you. And Kanda, Lavi?“  
„Yes?“  
„No kidding around this time.“  
„Well, this is a little cramped,“ Midnight muttered to Allen standing next to her. The radio room was, nicely said, small. With Johnny and Tapp behind the desk, Komui standing next to them, Kanda and Lavi in one corner and the twins in another, there was little space left for moving around. Midnight glanced over to the two guys trying to catch the frequency of the other ship that Timothy heard before.   
„Almost done, captain.“ Johnny turned another button and a loud voice cut through. Everybody cringed and Tapp hurridly turned the volume down.  
„Hello? Do you copy?“ Komui was talking into the microphone of the headphones on his head.   
„Yes, we copy.“ The voice that answered had a heavy accent and Komui leaned forward as if that would help him to understand the words better.  
„Identify yourself.“ There was some talking in the background before the voice answered.  
„White Wind.“   
„Great, pirates.“ Kanda growled. Others were silent, obviously concerned. Allen suppossed that this ones must be quite infamous if everybody got worried like this. Suddenly, he felt a hand cluthing on his. He looked over to his sister. Her face was as pale as a wall.  
„Midnight? What's wrong?“   
„It's them...,“ she whispered back.   
„Who?“ She just shook her head. In the mean time, Komui tried to find out what the pirates want. But the accent of the talker made it hard for them to understand each other. At some point, Komui requested to talk to the captain. Again, there was talking in the background, then some shifting sounds and sounds of walking before there was an answer, this time with a different voice. Midnight's head jumped up at that.   
„Hai?“   
„Am I talking to the captain?“  
„Yes, you are.“ Johnny shook his head. The accent of this one was even worse. Komui tried to communicate but it was just as with he guy before that.   
„We are no closer to finding out what they want. Does anybody talk good, proper English on that ship?“ Lavi commented. Komui shushed him.  
„Let me talk to them.“ Everybody turned to Midnight.   
„Middy?“ Even Allen looked suprised, Johnny noticed. Komui looked concerned.  
„Why do you propose that?“  
„This guys are Japanese, right? It would be easier to talk in japanese than in english if it's like this.“  
„Do you know japanese?“  
„Yes.“ It was obvious that Komui didn't like this idea. But at this point he had no other choice. He signaled to Tapp to prepare another headphone set and looked at Midnight.  
„Okay, than. But be careful. Don't tell them any information they are asking from you before consulting us. And be careful – this guys just may be after you two.“ Midnight nodded and put the headphone set on. Johnny turned up the volume a bit. The captain of the other ship got impatient.  
„Is anybody there?“ Midnight took a deep breath.  
„Hello, brother.“


	6. Chapter 6

„Hey, what are you doing there?“ Her head jumped up and hit the wall behind her which made her curse loudly. He laughed.  
„Whoa, careful there. I don't want father to lecture me later.“ She glared at him.  
„What do you want, Mamoru?“ The boy smiled and sat down next to her.  
„Sei-nii and Ryuu-nii are busy so I decided to hang out with you. As always, you're hard to find. How come you're so good at hiding?“ She wrinkled her nose.  
„I have to be if I want to get away from your stupid ass brothers.“ Last three words were spoken in English so it took Mamoru some time before he managed to understand them. When he did, he laughed loudly.  
„Wow, Michi, you're the first person that had the courage to say something like this about my brothers. Aren't you afraid?“ His version of her nickname sounded a bit off due to his accent.  
„They are not MY brothers,“ she stubornly answered.  
„But still, they are important people in this city. It could be inconvenient for you in the future.“ She snorted.  
„Like I'm going to be here for the rest of my life. I'm getting out of here as soon as sensei finds out my brother's location.“  
„What if he's already dead?“  
„He isn't.“ Mamoru eyed her with his eyes full of doubt.  
„How could you possibly know?“ If he wasn't paying attetion he would most probably miss a small smile that tugged the corners of her lips upwards.  
„I just do.“ Blinking in suprise, he slowly returned the smile. It was rare to see her smiling to anyone but his father.  
„You really love this brother of yours, don't you.“ She shrugged her shoulders.  
„ Well, he is my only family...“  
„What about father?“  
„Huh?“ He leaned closer.  
„Isn't father also your family?“ She looked suprised.  
„Um, yeah, you could say that.“  
„What about me?“ He could barely contain his laughter as she looked at him with an annoyed face and puffed-out cheecks.  
„Don't be ridiciouls. Being too close to me only means trouble.“  
„But father...“, he started but was interupted right away.  
„Your father is dumb enough to make such a mistake, but he is also a very powerful man with money and connections so it doesn't present as much trouble to him as it does to you.“ She looked away. „Sei and Ryuu are your brothers and thus you three need to stick together and protect eachother in time of need. But if you are close to me or are even, God forbid, a friend of mine, then that connection will be lost because... well, you know that they despise me to the very core. So this is your last warning.“ She stood up and patted her clothes to get the dust off. Then she looked back at him.  
„Don't get close too me.“ After that she walked away from him and disappeared around the corner.  
„Jeez.“ He smiled and leaned back. „You really are trouble.“  
„Michi?“ Everybody in the radio room looked at Midnight with suprised eyes, Allen also furrowed his eyebrows. The voice of the pirates ship's captain seemed to change from stern to happy and it bothered Allen a lot. From his sister's reaction he could conclude that there is someone on that ship that she knows or somebody that knows her. He watched her carefully as she answered and to his suprise she relaxed her body and shifted her weight on one leg.  
„You always were a trouble maker, stupid. What are you trying to do, following another ship around like that?“ There was a short laugh.  
„And here I was hoping that you'll be all happy talking to me again.“ Midnight snorted.  
„Don't be ridiculous, Mamoru. Now tell me what you want from this guys.“  
„Dear oh dear, still straight forward as ever, Michi.“  
„Stop calling me like that, I'm not a little girl anymore.“  
„You're younger than me so it doesn't matter.“ Mamoru smiled and leaned back on his chair. This was a big surprise for him. He never expected to meet Midnight like this – he was planning to visit her in the future, when he would have some free time on his hands. He laughed when she hissed in his headphones.  
„You too haven't changed one bit.“  
„But you haven't seen me yet, how do you know I'm still the handsome devil I used to be?“  
„I swear to God that I will kick your ass when I DO see you, you punk.“ Johnny jumped on his chair when the room was filled with loud giggling and Komui worridly looked at Midnight.  
„Is everything okay?“ She gritted her teeth.  
„Perfectly fine. He's just being an ass, as always.“ Giggling gradually stopped and Mamoru had to wave at his subordinates who worridly approached him due to his giggling attack.  
„I must say I missed our conversations. We should really meet soon.“  
„Mamoru...“  
„Yes, yes, I'll answer right away, dear. It's okay, Kiyune, stop fidgeting. Eh? No, no, it seems we got the wrong ship. Right, just a sec. Say, Michi?“ Mamoru returned his attention back to her after talking to one of crew members that was talking too quietly for Midnight to hear.  
„Could this ship you're on possibly had something to do with the attack on a merchant ship yesterday?“ She furrowed her eyebrows.  
„Merchant ship yesterday? Hardly possible. We were at Alnwick.“  
„Are you sure?“  
„Listen here you...“  
„Okay, okay, I believe you.“ He laughed. „Jeez, always so quick to get angry.“  
„Not really, you're just a special case. Why do you think this guys did it?“  
„You mean the ship you're on?“  
„Yes.“  
„Aren't you one of them?“  
„It's a long story that I do not feel like explaining right now, Mamoru. I'm only talking to you because none of you assholes speak English and it seems nobody on this ship speaks Japanese. Now talk.“  
„Fine, fine, dear sister.“ Mamoru snickered when he heard her grit her teeth. „Aah, I'll never get tired of this.“  
„Get to the point.“  
„Yes, yes. Basically we are just working on a hunch here. The merchant ship that was attacked is doing buisness with Ryuu-nii and he was pretty upset when he heard about it so he send us after a ship that suited the description that the captain of the merchant ship gave to him.“  
„You mean an air ship with black sails?“  
„Well, yeah. The number of this kind of ships is really small so we though we are on the right track. Ryuu will not like this.“  
„He is a bit of a douche, ya know.“ Mamoru laughed quietly.  
„He's not that bad of a person, Michi.“  
„Sure not.“  
„Listen, doll, I don't want to be annoying here, but both of you are just dragging things from the past and not even trying to patch it up.“  
„He threw a giant knife at me!“  
„And you threw a metal chair at him. And actually hit him. I don't think you have anything to complain about here.“  
„Well, yeah but...“  
„Please, just stop there. We'll talk about this when we actually meet up for real. Do you know when you'll be back at Alnwick?“  
„No idea. Me and Allen were kinda kidnapped...“  
„You were what?!“  
„For the love of God!“ Midnight yelped and tore the headphones away from her head. Allen jumped up to her.  
„What happened? Middy?“  
„Mamoru, you piece of shit!“ Midnight screeched into the microphone, holding Allen's hand to calm him down. „Don't scream into the microphone like that!“  
„How can I not, you just said that you were kidnapped!“  
„I also said ''kinda'' alongside it! Jesus,“ she added in English and waved at Komui who was sweating next to her. She heard Mamoru take a deep breath.  
„What do you mean by ''kinda'' kidnapped?Are you alright?“  
„I'm fine, we both are. The store is in ruins, though. And don't worry, this guys are not criminals so we are not is danger. We were actually brought onto this ship for our protection because Cross fucked something up.“  
„And Cross is...?“  
„Allen's mentor, sorta. Look, the point is that we are okay and will be okay in the future. You should report to Ryuu about this and continue the search – it could be possible that somebody is aiming for ship that do buisness with the White Wind. You guys are pretty infamous.“  
„Shoot, I didn't even think about that. I'll talk to Ryuu-nii about it.“  
„You do that. So, anything else you have to say? People over here are getting tense.“  
„No, no, nothing else. Only that you watch over yourself and that brother of yours. I'll come see you as soon as possible.“  
„Without your underlings?“ He laughed.  
„I'll try. Also, do you want me to send somebody to check your store? Or have the guys on your ship alredy done that?“ She turned to Komui.  
„Have you sent somebody to check on our store, by any chance? Oh, and it's alright, they thought we were somebody else. They won't bother us anymore.“ Komui looked confused but quickly recovered from it.  
„That's great to hear. And we didn't send anybody to check on your store because Captain Cross agreed to do that part...“  
„Go ahead and send somebody, Mamoru.“  
There was a long single sound resonating all around the ship, signaling that everything is alright. Komui let out a long sigh and sat down on the chair in his office. Lenalee put a mug of coffee before him.  
„You did well, Nii-san.“ Komui smiled at her and took the mug.  
„Thank you, but it's thanks so Midnight that we were able to solve this. By the way, Midnight.“ The girl lifted her head. She and Allen were sitting on a small sofa to the right of Komui's desk while Kanda ans Lavi sat opposite of them.  
„I guess you want to know my connection with the captain of the White Wind's ship?“ Komui nodded.  
„I would also like to know about it.“ Midnight sighed.  
„Allen, please.“  
„Tell me. What is that guy to you, Midnight? I don't recall you telling me about him.“ Lenalee noticed Midnight's body went stiff when Allen said her name. But the the black haired girl took a deep breath and tried to relax a bit. 'Must be something she doesn't wish to talk about', Lenalee thought.  
„His name is Hakufuu Mamoru and he is the son of Hakufuu Daiki. I think you can make the connection now.“ Allen's eyes widened.  
„Isn't he...“  
„My adoptive father, yes.“

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by this one : https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8995973/1/The-Clockmaker-and-the-Air-Pirate


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